What happened
During a landing attempt on a turf runway, an amphibian airplane experienced a nose-over accident. According to the pilot, the aircraft initially made contact with the ground on its main landing gear while the forward landing gear remained airborne. However, once the forward landing gear made contact with the surface, the aircraft flipped onto its back.
First responders arrived at the scene to find the aircraft positioned upside down, facing north. The wreckage was located in a grass area situated before the gravel and asphalt sections of the runway. Evidence at the scene included two distinct ground scars leading up to the main wreckage. These scars, measuring 103 feet and 92 feet in length, were spaced at a width consistent with the aircraft's floats.
The investigation
An examination of the site revealed that the right and left ground scars tracked toward the final position of the aircraft. Automated weather observations from a station 7.2 nautical miles northwest of the airport indicated winds were from 270 degrees at 9 knots during the event.